1. Field
The present specification generally relates to the manufacture and processing of webs of brittle material and, more specifically, to apparatuses with non-contact dancer mechanisms and methods for using the same to convey webs of brittle material.
2. Technical Background
Thin glass ribbons may be formed by processes such as the fusion process or other, similar downdraw processes. Such thin glass ribbons can be used in a variety of devices including flat panel displays, touch sensors, photovoltaic devices and other electronic applications. The fusion process yields thin glass ribbons which have surfaces with superior flatness and smoothness when compared to glass ribbons produced by other methods.
In the fusion process, a fusion draw machine (FDM) is used to form a glass ribbon and stretch the glass ribbon to a desired thickness by drawing the glass ribbon between two sets of rolls. For example, the fusion draw process may be used to draw the glass ribbon to a thickness at which the glass is flexible. The flexibility of the thin glass ribbon makes it possible to spool the glass ribbon onto a storage spindle and, as such, permits the glass to be produced and processed (i.e., laminated, coated, etc.) as a continuous web.
Uncoated thin glass ribbons are particularly susceptible to damage by mechanical contact prior to being laminated or coated with a protective film. Accordingly, mechanical contact with the uncoated thin glass ribbon should be avoided prior to application of the protective film. Furthermore, processes downstream of the FDM may influence the draw process and vice-versa. For example, mechanical vibrations introduced during spooling or lamination may propagate upstream and adversely influence the draw process. Similarly, the draw speed of the FDM and the speed of downstream processes such as winding and laminating should be precisely controlled such that the speeds are approximately equal to avoid introducing excess tension in the glass and/or introducing slack in the glass ribbon, such as when a portion of the glass ribbon is not supported by a roller or another support apparatus. However, such precise control and synchronization of multiple processes is often difficult to achieve.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative, mechanisms conveying a web of brittle material, such as thin glass, from an upstream process to a downstream process during the manufacture and processing of webs of brittle material.